40. The Descent

The story in Neil Marshall’s film begins with Sarah, who loses her husband and daughter in a car accident. We pick up one-year later as Alpha-female Juno (who was having an affair with Sarah’s husband) has gathered Sarah and four other women to go on a spelunking excursion in the Appalachians. The only problem is Juno has taken them to an unmapped cave with the hope that they can gloriously discover the cave themselves in an attempt to fix past wounds (and obviously, her guilt at sleeping with her friend’s husband has something to do with this feeling of setting things back the way they were). The six women enter the cave and first have to deal with interpersonal squabbles and the natural trials of cave diving before finding that there may be something much more unsettling lurking deep within.

The structure of the film is of interest here, as it attempts to provide the best of both worlds. The first 50 minutes are spent building dread, tension, and atmosphere, adding in the psychological horror that stems from losing a loved one (think Don’t Look Now), while the last 45 minutes are unabashed adrenaline soaked survival horror, with all hell breaking loose just as soon as the women think things have gotten as bad as they possibly can.

The cave functions as a fantastic setting to get the ultimate tension and horror out of the circumstances. Marshall uses the ambient light sources the women use to illuminate the darkness, playing with our viewpoint of what we can see if we just squint hard enough. He also chooses to employ a 2.35:1 scope, yet manages to keep the moments in the cave tight and extremely claustrophobic, most notably when Sarah gets stuck in an extremely narrow opening, causing panic for both her and the viewer. In many ways, these early tension points with the women getting stuck, suffering a cave-in, and having to cross a giant chasm evoke fear without any need of monsters and are more fraught with fear than the horrific events that follow.

Of course, the film’s use of a cave as the setting opens the film up for plentiful metaphorical reading. Though there is probably room for theorizing the cave as a womb, I find much more ground in it being representative of the Freudian idea of the unconscious mind. There lurking in the dark recesses of an unexplored region lie the uncanny monsters of the id, waiting to rise to the surface. Diving into the cave is akin to Sarah’s descent into her psyche, an attempt to work through the issues that have plagued her since her family’s death. Trapped, she has to go deeper and deeper to come out alive on the other side (which does literally happen in the less satisfying American release of the film*). By shining a light on these monstrous creatures she ultimately discovers Juno’s betrayal that has led to so much of her suffering and in the end is finally able to find peace (at least in the original ending*).

Random as it may be, having Carrie and The Descent back-to-back in the countdown is entirely appropriate. Carrie deals with a teenage girl that suffers a traumatic experience and then, with blood serving as the catalyst, proceeds to use her rage to exact fiery revenge. Sarah, who has suffered severe trauma, undergoes her own baptism in blood, leading to her rebirth as all her repressed emotions explode to the surface in a violent outburst. Marshall does all of this with more than just thematic touches, also incorporating some obvious visual homages to DePalma’s film (the sight of Sarah covered in blood, the close-ups of the fury in her eyes, the sight of her arm coming through the ground)**.

The ending of both films provides a lingering nihilistic sensation, but Marshall offers a coda that provides an air of acceptance for his protagonist. Carrie, having disposed of everyone, ultimately comes to accept her situation by taking herself to hell. Sarah, though, is finally able to conquer her demons after her violent catharsis, as she finally is able to envision her daughter’s face looking at her (throughout the film, we see Sarah’s visions of her dead daughter bringing her a birthday cake, during which Sarah can only see the back of her daughter’s head). It’s as hopeful a downbeat ending as you are likely to see — though Sarah is inevitably going to die, she has seemingly come to terms with her transformation and is happy to see her daughter again in her final moments.

*Of course a lot of how you view the film depends upon the ending you watch — for an explanation of the differences, see here and then for a more in-depth look, check out Jim Emerson’s great dissection, here.

**Marshall is also sure to play to the horror connoisseur, as he peppers his film with genre homages. Amongst those I’ve recognized would be Alien, Zombi, City of The Living Dead, Carrie, Deliverance, The Shining, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Don’t Look Now, and a non-horror entry, Apocalypse Now.

(This film appeared on Troy’s list at #33, Kevin’s at #12, Robert’s at #37, and Jamie’s at #41)

Like this:

Related

30 Responses

It appears that this is the very first time that a film on this countdown has placed in all four lists. Entirely appropropriate too, as this metaphorical British horror film is absolutely terrifying, one of teh scariest film the genre has ever offered up, and one whose very claustrophobia contributes mightily to slow-building dread. Once the terror is unleashed, all hell breaks lose both literally and figuritively. Troy has penned an engrossing account (as did Kevin months before at his own site). That’s an excellent point there Troy, comparing the endings of both CARRIE and THE DESCENT and in having both appear back to back here. Of course Marshall did provide two endings to his film, to lessen the impact for those who couldn’t handle his nihilist final coda (in the original ending.)

Sam I think The Thing was also picked by all four writers as well. Similar to The Strangers I find the first half of The Descent works better than the second half. My main problem is that they show the creatures too much. They would appear more scary if remaining a shadowy presence throughout. The movie goes from a moody unsettling psychological flick to a slightly unsatisfying adventure film. It is still pretty good overall and I love the nihilistic unrated ending. I may watch this again before Halloween.

I will agree with you on THE STRANGERS, which had a terrific first half that is a let down when the stalk and slash inevitably begins. I think THE DESCENT handles the balancing act a bit better because I think we care a bit more about Sarah and Juno’s arc, making the adventure portion more relevant to the story.

At the same time, this is one of those films where I can understand where the detractors are coming from. The tonal shift from pure psychological horror to action horror is a bit abrupt, but part of the tension in watching that first half is in KNOWING that sooner or later some kind of shit is going to go down. That’s not going to be for everyone, but for me the film offers up two different kinds of horror that equal out to a great film.

Thanks Sam. I had to scrap a lot of what I originally wrote (as I was under the gun on posting this in time!), and one of the things I wanted to delve into was in comparing the two endings.

I actually think both can work, but it’s funny that the American distributors wanted it to be toned down, yet it’s that ending which pretty much shows that though she escaped she is forever haunted not only by the visions of her dead daughter, but by the ghost of Juno as well. Oh, how happy.

The original ending, though nihilistic indeed, at least gives her character closure.

As for BLAIR WITCH, the same theme of being lost in an unknown place with eerie things afoot around you is at play there, as it is in THE DESCENT (the whole thing with Juno throwing the map away before diving into the cave is similar to them losing their map in BLAIR WITCH).

BLAIR WITCH brings up another interesting comparison in that, to its credit, it chose to never show the entity that was causing the horrific events that were going on. THE DESCENT does and I think it’s better for having done so.

…Marshall is also sure to play to the horror connoisseur, as he peppers his film with genre homages. Amongst those I’ve recognized would be Alien, Zombi, City of The Living Dead, Carrie, Deliverance, The Shining, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Don’t Look Now, and a non-horror entry, Apocalypse Now…

As for the lighting — the fact that they used only the natural light of the flares/camera/head lamps to illuminate the screen certainly gives it an eerie effect in the cave. Probably also helped to hide the setbound nature of the cave :)

This is one of the best horror movies of all time. I knwo I’ve said this a couple of times already, but this time I mean it. The surprise of the twist towards the subject of fear was surprising, even if we really start to think, the horror subject hasn’t changed a lot.
Nevertheless, I find this movie has a message regarding fate, the trip and Juno’s preparation for this trip was a kind of preparation for a sacrificial ritual, the color red suggest that, as does the ‘blood resurrection’ and the ‘coincidence’ that the cave was just a setting for those crawlers to appear and kill almost everyone in an orgy of blood.
All is there to make Sarah’s revenge a reality. In no other place she may have found out about the relationship of Juno and Ssarah’s husband, and there was no other way of revenge without having her to fullfil it without really having to do it.
I do like to thing of this movie as a great plan of revenge, but planned by the victim because of its guilt.
About the references, yeah, I did get some, but I think I can name a couple more: Suspiria (those eyes!) and the hospital scene does remind me of something but I can’t really get my finger on it.
By the way, that hospital scene is one of the highlights of the movie, no doubt about it.

Yep, it’s Sarah’s journey of catharsis that opens the film up for such good analysis. It’s a journey that allows Juno to assuage her obvious guilt and for Sarah to “fix” herself via her revenge — thus fate surely plays into things (and with that point of view, the inevitability of it all makes things even more nihilistic and bleak, doesn’t it). Great comment!

I really think it would have been better without any creatures and without any external danger at all. The first half, with the horror of claustrophobia and of entrapment (emotional too, given the tragedy) left to boil with resentment and in-fighting was excellent.

The more overtly ‘horror’ elements turned the end into a film like any other. Once the screams kick in and everything gets louder and more obviously scary the tension dissipates – it’s the same in THE EXORCIST and THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL.

I’ve seen this point of contention brought up before, but I’m curious in how the film moves to its conclusion without the method that Marshall uses. By the time Holly breaks her leg it seems that they have exhausted all of the “trapped in a cave” tropes they can and had to move the film to a different realm, so to speak. I’m not sure a purely PICNIC AT HANGING ROCK style would have worked here (though I could be convinced otherwise) and I’d rather have the external threats than the end of the film turning into DAYBREAK.

I’m sure there are ways by which horror elements could have been turned down a bit, so perhaps we can discuss some ideas on that here.

One of my favourite horror films. The claustrophobic scenes at the beginning were just as unnerving as the creatures attacking later in the film. While re-watching the film recently, I found some of the performances (especially in the short cabin scenes) lacked, but as a whole the film played out wonderfully.

If you get the chance, watch the making-of on the DVD. It is truly fascinating to see the man-made caves and how one was changed numerous times in order to look like a new portion. Fantastic art direction.

Dave — I’ve seen that making-of featurette you are talking about. This film is a great showcase of making good horror on a tight budget using innovative and simple effects and art direction, as is Marshall’s first film, DOG SOLDIERS. Why, just look what happened when he got himself a big budget (DOOMSDAY)!

My 13 year old son is a big fan but I agree with Maurizio Roca’s comment, “I find the first half of The Descent works better than the second half.” The creatures reminded me of the orcs in the Lord of the Rings, which aren’t that scary either; perhaps suspension of reality works for 12-13 year olds. Again (I’m being really cynical) I think they spent to much time and money building and shooting scenes in those caves (it would have been more convincing as flashbacks perhaps (excuse my fuzzy story logic)) I won’t reference Alfred Hitchcock but I will reference Paranormal Activity (like it or not) they did a lot with very little; again being cynical its probably the studios wanting to see gore and slam-bang easy movie, easy demographic to market too kinda thing I do like watching parts of it with my son…but overall :(

I had been dying to see this one after its initial theatrical release and I’ve not been able to get the feelings on whether it was well done or not by ACTUAL PEOPLE that have seen it. Most of the critics have had nice things to say about it, a few outright despised it, and I was always on the fence in whether or not I should take the plunge. I’m always a little hesitant about walking into a horror film as most in the genre today are terrible or fall into the hack/slash category (which is a sub-genre I hate) and I don’t like tossing away good money on something that has better chance than not in failing in front of my eyes…

Looking at TROY’s review, and seeing the praise heaped on this film by most of the bloggers on this thread has finally convinced me that it’s high time i seek this one out. I’ll have to see if SCHMULEE has this one in his vast library and set up a screening on the huge screen in the dungeon (I’m getting the feeling the only way to see this is on the biggest screen available to me)…

Got my fingers crossed here… Hoping for a good one… I’ll have the finest horror film officianado of all time, DANNY (Sam’s middle kid) watch along with me on this one… He’s a true litmus test… If that 10 year old gets scared (and trust me guys, this kids got guts made of steel), then I know this one is as good as your saying…

Do this one immediately, Dennis (and hopefully I haven’t spoiled too much of it for you). I was skeptical back in 2005 before my brother convinced me to go see it and I spent the entire time in the theater on the edge of my seat loving every moment of it (and even looking to the dark corners of my house that night, weary of what might be lurking there).

Not sure how this film will work on a 10-year old, but it might be a little too slow of a start for a youngster (though there is a “kewl” kill in the first five minutes, the one major visual mistep for me in the film)

I will definately seek this one and [REC] out as suggested by this great count…

As for DANNY getting into it???? There is neither a slasher or a suggestive horror film this kid has ever shyed away from to my knowledge. I’m just waiting for him to become the right age to sit through the one film even I think might make him squirm (HENRY: PORTRAIT OF A SERIAL KILLER). But, then again, he’ll probably have no problems with it and die laughing from my girlie reaction (the first time i saw it I think I let out a yelp like a tortured thirteen year old school girl during the family massacre sequence! LOL In all honesty, HENRY is pretty much the one film I think is too disturbing for even a seasoned veteran like myself-it’s so intense-I fully expect to see that film rank very high on this count).

DANNY is 10 now. I think he’ll be primed for the task when he turns 11. LOL!!! I’m not kidding….

This film is a keeper for sure and Marshall does a fantastic job ratcheting up the almost unbearable feelings of claustraphobia making his a chore to watch if you fear being trapped in a dark, confined space. And I think that’s what is so effective about this – it taps into a basic, primal fear that we can all relate to. And once these women realize that they are not alone in this cave system, you really start to feel the confined space and the darkness closing in on them. Good stuff.

There’s just something about claustrophobia that generates palpable horror, isn’t there. It’s funny, but the most horrific moment in the whole movie for me was when Sarah gets stuck in the hole, the rocks closing in on her, and starts panicking. That certainly tapped into a fear that I think is innate in all of us.

I’m just now getting to this. I agree with everyone in their praise of this piece. I’m glad I’m the one that the influence for a change! Hehe. I do remember going to see this (my second time) with you, and having to convince you the whole time that it was good.

THE STRANGERS is one of the most frustrating horror films of the last ten years. It’s so damn good for about 40 minutes, and then it just all goes to shit once the accidental death happens…it just became too cute after that.

WOLF CREEK on the other hand — and I know I’m in the minority on this one — is one of the most powerful horror films I’ve ever sat through, and I actually stated that it was better than THE TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE on my blog this summer. I’m crazy, though…so that explains part of it, hehe.

Troy, I just finished watching this movie. Thanks for pointing me to it – great stuff! (spoilers ahead)

I did not find the revenge at all cathartic in fact it seemed unjustified – Juno, for all her flaws, had at least tried to save Sarah, and as far as her being responsible for Sarah’s family’s death that’s a bit of a stretch. So when I thought the movie would end with Sarah on the road breathing hard, I was disappointed. But then came the double shocker – great that Netflix carries the version with the real ending (or is that the only edition that came out on DVD?). I don’t think, even with the cave button, that I would have necessarily thought Juno was “really” in the car – to me, this shot already plays into the notion that what we’ve seen unfold is a psychodrama above all else. And of course the birthday cake in the cave only adds to this conclusion. If we want a “literal” interpretation – i.e. something that places the incidents of the film in a real-world context instead of just as a fantasy/myth elaborating on a theme – I’d say that this is Sarah’s “dream” as she lies on the hospital bed. And I don’t think she comes out on the other side – what I like is that the cave is initially used as a metaphor for reaching “closure” on your problems (ironically, by becoming un-enclosed) but it eventually becomes clear that the grief is endless, labyrinthine and more psychologically real than Sarah’s previous life. Of course she wakes up in the deep dark cave – THAT’s reality, and no little girl with a birthday cake can mitigate its hellish surroundings.

Top Clicks

Wonders in the Dark is a blog dedicated to the arts, especially film, theatre and music. An open forum is highly encouraged, as the site proctors are usually ready and able to engage with ongoing conversation.